END CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY DISCRIMINATION – says GMB lobby
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END CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY DISCRIMINATION – says GMB lobby
Calling for victory over ruthless employers, Construction and
Engineering workers from many parts of Britain, rallied 100 strong
outside the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday.
The rally called by the GMB union pledged to restore the National
Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry (NAECI) conditions
of employment for all workers on British sites.
The NAECI governs terms, conditions, working hours, pay and safety for
workers on construction sights and it is being abused by almost all
the main industry players the GMB said.
The GMB said employers are setting out to undermine the national
agreement, not only on pay but also on safety, and as well are out to
break the union.
An independent audit has confirmed serious underpayment of overseas
workers on the Staythorpe site by Italian company Somi, a sub
contractor to main contractor Alstom.
The GMB believes that there is also concrete evidence of the same
practices at Isle of Grain, and Lindsey Oil Refinery sites.
Last year there were unofficial strikes at major engineering
construction projects across the UK, which saw a shaken Business and
Industry Secretary Peter Mandelson rushing to assure Parliament, ‘We
have been informed that all sub-contractors adhere to the NAECI.’
An official strike was narrowly averted by the GMB after employers
conceded ‘a pre award’ audit to screen out undercutting in future
contracts.
It emerged that Somi falsely informed it was paying their workers in
line with the national agreements, but an audit exposed this deceit,
says the GMB.
Tony Walters from Doncaster said: ‘We don’t object to foreign workers
coming in but they are using migrant labour at a cheaper rate.
‘I’m 63 and have worked in the construction industry all my life. I’m
a very skilled worker with years of experience and I can’t get a job.
‘We need some leadership from somewhere, every worker feels it.’
Dave Charlton who works at the West Burton Power Station said: ‘We are
here to make sure our children are on decent rates of pay and not
coming home with a minimum wage for skilled tradesmen.
‘Alstom, the German RWE and Seamans are all using foreign labour.
‘LOR and Staythorpe are bringing in foreign labour and saying they are
on the same rates as British workers.’
Andrew Bowie added: ‘We work to a high health and safety standard
here. We don’t know who is working what. They are bring in men as
skilled tradesmen and 75 % of them have failed the welding test so
they were sent out as riggers.
‘The other day I saw them lifting a 10 tonne tank with two 5 tonne
straps. You should have two 10 ton straps on something like that in
case one breaks.
‘Well one broke and the impact destroyed a forklift and a generator.
We were just lucky there wasn’t a death or injury from it,’ he
alleged.
Phil Davis GMB steward said: ‘We want a register of skilled tradesmen
but the employers are resisting it saying it takes away their hiring
and firing rights.
‘But the GMB is doing its own register to make sure we have the
information to pin-point which workers are being discriminated
against.
‘Its not about discriminating against immigrant workers. It’s about
discriminating against British workers.
‘We know there is a black list and hundreds of thousands of
construction workers are on it. Every single contractor has its own
black list that discriminates, and it has got to stop.
‘It’s not British workers who are abusing foreign workers, its the
employers and we have got to stop it.’
FTO Andy Fletcher, (full time officer) said: ‘We knew Somi were
underpaying and when we caught them out they said sorry, we’ll pay it
back.
‘But that is not enough, we want every contractor to use UK payroll
systems so there is no fudging on tax.
‘Somi paid its workers in Italy and that is why it took years to find
out about it. They have denied these workers their contractual rights.
‘Every worker is entitled to long weekend leave at times, so they can
spend time with their families.
‘These men were told if you go home, don’t come back.
‘Then there is the safety issue. Our health and safety reps need to
check skills, like welding but the contractors are refusing to show
the union the documentation which verifies skill levels.’
Paul Kenny, General Secretary of the GMB said: ‘Employers are cutting
pay shipping people in from all over the world. Bad economics is what
these employers are about.
‘We are not propping up an unequal society, with worker pitted against
worker. That is not what the argument is about. It’s about
exploitation and employers trying to drive down terms and conditions.
‘We have faced this before.’
The GMB General Secretary acknowledged that the unofficial strike, had
lead the fight without official backing.
He said: ‘We made the mistake of thinking that it was under control.
Trade union organisation is like a garden, if you don’t tend it it
goes to seed. We allowed people to pay lip service to what was
happening at Lindsey.
‘The Polish, Italian and Greek unions were telling us that their
members were underpaid. When it was exposed it was clear that Alstom
were bringing in labour to undercut rates in this country.
‘The ACAS report was a whitewash. They aim to break organised labour
in the industry, but we stood up unofficially and officially, we are
parts of the union.
‘We must re-establish trade unionism in this industry or go the way of
the Dodo. We must organise a proper register.
‘Officially we are following policies to provide opportunities to give
leadership, otherwise the less official parts of the union will take
the lead.
‘It’s about exploitation. If you exploit any worker you will have a
big fight on your hands.’
Kenny said strike action had been decided but he could not say the
date, but another worker shouted out 19th of February.
He concluded: ‘If a national dispute is what it takes then the GMB
will be at the front of it. We are are not running away any more, we
are getting stuck in’.
The GMB are demanding:
• Alstom repay in full all monies owing to employees as a result of
the underpayment.
• All contractors to use a UK based payroll system.
• Auditors to undertake a full investigation into each contractor to
confirm compliance with periodic long weekends requirements.
• All contractors must comply fully with section 9.4 of the new
agreement that insists that employees who are ‘transferred in’
existing employees, not new starters.
• Without substantiated evidence the transferee will be treated as a
new starter and the contractor will be instructed by Alstom to remove
the worker from the site.
• All transferees and new starters must attend inductions which will
be attended by designated shop stewards at times agreed with Alstom
management and designated stewards. If a contractor flouts clause s9.4
they must be removed from the site.
• Alstom must ensure all contractors provide details of employer
competence assessment procedures to Trade Union Site Safety Reps upon
request.
• Alstom must remove Somi from the Staythorpe project.